The Left and the Lucky with Willy Vlautin
Tue 16 Jun 2026
7:00pm at Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights, 14-15 John St, Bath, BA1 2JL
All tickets include 15% off any books purchased on the night, author talk, Q&A and signing.
Other ways to book:
Email books@mrbsemporium.com, call 01225 331155 or pop into the shop at 14-15 John Street, Bath. BA1 2JL.
We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Willy Vlautin, one of our team’s most beloved writers (and musicians!), for the very first time as we celebrate the publication of his new novel, The Left and the Lucky.
Many of our customers over the years will undoubtedly have had a Willy Vlautin novel thrust into their hands on a visit to the shop, whether it be Ed recommending The Free, or Emma telling you how much Don’t Skip Out On Me broke her heart, or how much Tom M loved the propulsively dark, The Night Always Comes. Willy Vlautin’s books have become Mr B’s staples, our cherished go-to’s, the ones we can’t wait to introduce to readers for the very first time.
The Left and the Lucky is already becoming a new favourite for many of us – an incredibly moving story of a housepainter becoming an unlikely father figure to an 8-year-old boy in danger of slipping through society’s cracks.
We feel lucky to have the enormous pleasure of hosting Willy for this special event, in the year of Mr B’s 20th Birthday, and who knows, he may even bring along a guitar too…
Can’t make it to the event? Order a signed and dedicated copy here.
About the book:
‘And try to breathe, man. You gotta remember to breathe. You won’t get so panicky if you can remember that.’
Eddie Wilkens runs his own house-painting business. Forty-something and living alone, he just wants to take life one day at a time. When his eight-year-old neighbour, Russell, starts hanging around, Eddie sees that this small kid – with his single mother working nights and his violent older brother – is struggling to keep his head above water, and so tries to help.
Equal parts heart wrenching and uplifting, The Left and the Lucky is a portrait of this unusual friendship – the ways hurt shatters people and the compassionate acts that can, maybe, hold some of those pieces together.
‘One of America’s great writers.’ RODDY DOYLE
‘Vlautin’s characters are a vast chorus of broken hearts, reaching for grace.’ COLIN WALSH
‘No one writes with such empathy and insight as Willy Vlautin.’ BEN MYERS
‘Vlautin writes about people overlooked by society and overlooked by literature.’ ANN PATCHETT
About the author:
Willy Vlautin has published seven previous novels, most recently The Horse, which was just named as a finalist for the 2025 Joyce Carol Oates Award. The Motel Life and Lean on Pete were both turned into acclaimed feature films, in 2012 and 2017, the latter of which was directed by Andrew Haigh. Netflix’s adaptation of The Night Always Comes is set for release in Autumn 2025 starring Vanessa Kirby. Vlautin lives outside of Portland, Oregon and is the founding member of the bands Richmond Fontaine and The Delines.